Med Error Question

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This is my first post and I hope I'm in the right spot! A little background first. I have been a nurse for about a year and have made my first med error. I work in long term care and a med was not carried over from the previous months MAR. Myself and another nurse missed it. I normally do not give this med as I work another shift. I do work that shift a few days a month though. Well, the blood pressure med was not given, twice by me so I was written up(I know I deserve it). Nothing happened to the resident, but I feel HORRIBLE. I find that so much is left for me to do and I barely have time to finish it all. I don't take breaks either. Maybe this place isn't for me. If I decided to move on to another job, do I disclose my med error? Do people usually ask?

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.

Relax. Mistakes happen, even to the best of us. Be glad that, as you said, nothing happened. I wouldn't leave a job because of it. If you do leave, you do not have to ever even mention the error. Ever. Unless it was so bad that you got reported to the state board, which yours didn't sound like. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. (But I'm glad that you do care that much!)

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Specializes in LTC.

Let it go. You can't sit and dwell on this and question yourself about it forever. Your focus here needs to be the resident. They weren't harmed and they probably aren't losing any sleep over it.

p.s. -- It is normal not to have time to a break in LTC. If I do get a break.. I seriously question myself.."why do I have time for a break.. what didn't I do lol"

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If people left every time they had a med error there would be a lot of moving around people. Yes, sometimes, the employer will fire the person, but this doesn't always happen. When you leave, do not mention this. If you are fortunate, the employer will not retaliate and report you to the board or fire you or mention it to a prospective employer. You need to slow down a tad, be a little more careful, and try not to repeat this mistake.

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Relax...you are only human! Everyone makes mistakes and we have all made at least one med error. Don't doubt your nursing abilities based on this one error! I wouldn't quit your job over this. I do have a problem with writing a nurse up over a med error. Yes, it should be documented but writing a nurse up is a bit extreme, in my opinion, because we are all human and make mistakes. Now, if it was a HUGE med error or if a nurse has made multiple errors, that would be different. Don't beat yourself up over this!

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Did you participate in the transcription error? If not, this error is not really yours.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical, Neurology.

The person who should have been written up would be the person who transcribed it to the next month NOT YOU! This is not your error. You would not have known this medication was to be given.

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Specializes in MED/SURG STROKE UNIT, LTC SUPER., IMU.

I agree with the above posters that the person who transcribed the POS is the one who had the med error. In LTC we don't have the time to go through every chart for medications that are suppost to be on the MAR. I don't know about you, but it is all I can do to get through all the meds, treatments, documentation, admissions and discharges without going through 20-30 POSs to make sure that all meds are on there. There is just not enough time in the day. I would argue the write up or at least drop it. You can not know everything about every patient if you don't work with them often, meaning everyday. Chin up, you didn't do anything wrong.:)

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Thanks everyone! Feeling a little better!

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